System and method for set-top-box messaging display

• US 9,668,027 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2008
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Perftech Inc. (Perftech Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Perftech Inc. (Perftech Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Donzis, Henry M., Baron, Peter W., Murphy, John A., Donzis, Lewis T., Schmidt, Jonathan E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): TELAN, MICHAEL R
• Application Number:
  US12/340,879
• Publication Number:
  US 20100162296A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,081 Days
• Field of Search: 725 9- 10, 725 12, 725 14- 21, 725 51, 725109, 715867
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895

Abstract

In a set-top-box system, messages from a service provider are stored and delayed until activity from a set-top-box remote is detected. Messages are then generated and provided to a television associated with the set-top-box. Delaying of the message display until set-top-box activity is detected allows short display times, thus preventing burn-in on some television screens, while providing a greater likelihood that messages will be viewed.

Claims

1. A method for displaying set-top-box messages onto a display, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of messages to be displayed into a set-top-box;

storing the plurality of messages in memory of the set-top-box until activity of a remote is detected;

detecting activity of the remote associated with the set-top-box;

retrieving the plurality of messages from the memory of the set top box responsive to the detected remote activity;

providing the plurality of messages to the display sequentially in response to the remote activity and after a predefined period of quiescence after the detected activity of the remote, wherein a sequence of the plurality of messages is determined by a message priority assigned to each of the plurality of messages and designated by a service provider, and wherein at least one message having a higher message priority than the other of the plurality of messages is displayed before the other of the plurality of the message, and redisplayed repeatedly until a confirmation code is received indicating the at least one message has been acknowledged;

establishing a first time period during which at least one of the plurality of messages are displayed and a second time period during which the at least one of the plurality of messages are removed from being displayed; and

periodically providing the at least one of the plurality of messages to the display for the first time period and removing the at least one of the plurality of messages from the display for the second time period which is a longer time than the first time period, until additional activity of the remote is detected and an acknowledgement signal is received in the set-top-box from the remote wherein content of the at least one message displayed comprises actions required.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting activity of the remote comprises receiving a signal from the remote in the set-top-box.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the signal comprises a control signal for at least one set-top-box function.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of messages are received from the service provider.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a sequence of the plurality of messages is determined by an order in which the plurality of messages are received into the set-top-box.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting activity of a remote comprises detecting initial remote activity, the method further comprising detecting the predefined period of quiescence after the initial remote activity.

7. A set-top-box comprising:

at least one memory that stores message content until activity of at least one remote is detected, the message content comprising a plurality of messages received from a service provider;

a remote interface that receives control signals from the at least one remote; and

at least one processor that;

retrieves the plurality of messages from the memory of the set top box responsive to the detected remote activity;

generates a display message comprising the plurality of messages;

provides the plurality of messages to the display sequentially in response to the remote activity and after a predefined period of quiescence after the detected activity of the remote, wherein a sequence of the plurality of messages is determined by a message priority assigned to each of the plurality of messages and designated by a service provider, and wherein at least one message having a higher message priority than the other of the plurality of messages is displayed; and

redisplayed repeatedly until a confirmation code is received indicating the at least one message has been acknowledged;

establishes a first time period during which at least one of the plurality of messages are displayed and a second time period during which the at least one of the plurality of messages are removed from being displayed; and

periodically provides the at least one of the plurality of messages to the display for the first time period and removes the at least one of the plurality of messages from the display for the second time period which is a longer time than the first time period, until additional activity of the remote is detected and an acknowledgement signal is received in the set-top-box from the remote wherein content of the at least one message displayed comprises actions required.

8. The set-top-box of claim 7 configured to periodically provide the plurality of messages to the television.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions for execution by a processor, that, when executed, cause the processor to:

store a plurality of messages in memory of the set-top-box until activity of a remote is detected;

detect activity from the remote associated with the set-top-box;

retrieve the plurality of messages from the memory of the set-top-box responsive to the detected remote activity;

generate a plurality of display messages in response to the detected remote activity; and

provide the plurality of messages to the display sequentially in response to the remote activity and after a predefined period of quiescence after the detected activity of the remote, wherein a sequence of the plurality of messages is determined by a message priority assigned to each of the plurality of messages and designated by the service provider, and wherein at least one message having a higher message priority than the other of the plurality of messages is displayed before the other of the plurality of the messages, and redisplayed repeatedly until a confirmation code is received indicating the at least one message has been acknowledged;

establish a first time period during which at least one of the plurality of messages are displayed and a second time period during which the at least one of the plurality of messages are removed from being displayed; and

periodically provide at least one of the plurality of messages to the display for the first time period and remove the at least one of the plurality of messages from the display for the second time period which is a longer time than the first time period, until additional activity of the remote is detected and an acknowledgement signal is received in the set-top-box from the remote wherein content of the at least one message displayed comprises actions required.